Homewood Suites by Hilton's Lewis the Duck Gives Back to the Community in His Latest Adventure

(3BL Media) McLean, VA - August 24, 2012 - Homewood Suites by Hilton, the international brand of upscale, all-suite, residential-style hotels, has announced the much anticipated release of "Lewis The Duck Lends a Helping Wing," the fourth edition in the hotel brand's "Lewis The Duck" children's book series. Created to help its guests stay connected with young ones at home while on the road for extended business trips, the book series illustrates various aspects of business travel through the experiences of the brand's beloved mascot, Lewis the Duck.

"If you are a working parent that travels often - a category that many of our guests fit into - extended trips can be difficult, especially for younger children," said Bill Duncan, global head of brand management for Homewood Suites by Hilton. "Inspired by this and my own experience traveling while my son was young, the Lewis the Duck series was created to explain business travel in an engaging way and make our guests' families feel a part of their trips."

Authored by Duncan and his 18 year-old son Christian, the series' latest book, plays homage to Hilton Worldwide's culture of service and giving back to the community in which our team members live and work. The plot follows Lewis' efforts at Duck Inc. to initiate a corporate responsibility program as requested by his boss, Mr. Wood. In jumpstarting these efforts, Lewis with the help of his co-workers, family and Homewood Suites by Hilton, takes on several projects across Duckville including building a school library, cleaning up the Duck River and helping the homeless at a local shelter. The story concludes with Lewis and the volunteers being congratulated at a ceremony by Mr. Wood.

The books preceding "Lewis The Duck Lends a Helping Wing" include "Lewis and His Long Trip," which explains extended-stay travel; "Lewis Goes to Canada," portraying a "workcation" where Lois, the working mom of the Lewis the Duck clan, brings the family along for a business trip; and "Lewis Goes to Mexico," also coauthored by Duncan and his son, highlighting an international trip and how to be respectful of different cultures when traveling abroad.

"It's been rewarding witnessing the Lewis the Duck book series grow and evolve, keeping our guests connected to their families while traveling, and strengthening our companywide commitment to childhood literacy," added Duncan. "It seems like yesterday I was reading to Christian over the phone while on the road for extended trips, and now he's off to college."

Homewood Suites, the only hotel brand to publish an original children's book series, has printed more than 100,000 copies of the four books, which are available for purchase at every Homewood Suites Suite Shop, as well as at LewistheDuck.com. At the Lewis-themed website, kids can also play an interactive Lewis the Duck game or create their own Lewis luggage tag.

In addition to the website and book series, Homewood Suites supports local reading programs and childhood literacy through an association with the Books for Kids Foundation, a non-profit organization that develops reading libraries for young, at-risk children. Homewood Suites has constructed five of these libraries since 2010, donated over 5,000 books and committed over 1,500 service hours, reinforcing their efforts to generate greater awareness of early childhood literacy. "Lewis The Duck Lends a Helping Wing" will be used in Homewood's fall Books for Kids reading program.

In 2011, Hilton Worldwide launched Travel with Purpose, our commitment to providing shared value to our business and communities around the world. Travel with Purpose is built on four areas of focus -- creating opportunities for individuals to reach their full potential; strengthening communities where we operate; celebrating cultures and the power of travel; and living sustainability through the measurement, analysis and improvement of our use of natural resources. For more information visit, www.HiltonWorldwide.com/corporate-responsibility/.

About Homewood Suites by HiltonLaunched in 1989, the Homewood Suites by Hilton brand today has nearly 300 hotels open with approximately 110 in the development pipeline. Beyond its spacious suites and home-like amenities, additional guest features include an on-site Suite Shop convenience store, complimentary grocery shopping services*, a complete business center, and laundry services at most locations.

*Guest pays for groceries. Other restrictions apply.

About Hilton WorldwideHilton Worldwide is the leading global hospitality company, spanning the lodging sector from luxurious full-service hotels and resorts to extended-stay suites and mid-priced hotels. For 93 years, Hilton Worldwide has offered business and leisure travelers the finest in accommodations, service, amenities and value. The company is dedicated to continuing its tradition of providing exceptional guest experiences across its global brands. Its brands are comprised of more than 3,800 hotels and timeshare properties, with 630,000 rooms in 91 countries and include Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations. The company also manages the world-class guest reward program Hilton HHonors®. Visit www.hiltonworldwide.com for more information and connect with Hilton Worldwide at www.facebook.com/hiltonworldwide, www.twitter.com/hiltonworldwide, www.youtube.com/hiltonworldwide, www.flickr.com/hiltonworldwide and www.linkedin.com/company/hilton-worldwide.